Bring Me to Life
by Agent Henry
Summary: To help with the hunt for Horcruxes, Hermione uses old magic to temporarily bring back Regulus Black and ask for his help. But what will happen when Regulus decides he wants to stay?
1. Home

**Pairing: **Regulus/Hermione.

**A/N: **This is AU Deathly Hallows, starting from after they got the locket from the Ministry. Yaxley didn't find out they were in Grimmauld Place when they escaped.

**Summary: **Magik, the ancient, dark kind, now banned, has brought Regulus a semblance of life back when Hermione discovers the spell. He isn't truly alive, but he's here and he's helping in the second war to defeat Voldemort. However, when Hermione, who brought him 'back', thinks it's time for him to leave again, he doesn't want to go.

This magik was banned for a reason.

* * *

><p>It was getting increasingly harder for Harry to concentrate on the book in his hands with Ron's tapping. He looked up again - he had lost count a while ago - to see his best friend tapping his fingers on the table he was sat on top of, staring into space. It was as if Ron didn't even know what he was doing and Harry needed him to stop.<p>

"Ron!"

He jumped at the mention of his name and turned to Harry. "What?"

"Is something on your mind?" he asked.

Ron nodded and continued to stare at the open door. "I was thinking about Snape."

Harry scoffed, "daydreaming about _him_ is not going to get us anywhere with these Horcruxes." He shut the book and dropped it onto the table. "Neither is this." He was only half lying. Honestly, he had only able to concentrate on half of it, but what he had read sounded useless.

"Shut up," Ron replied, rolling his eyes. "We know he's a Death Eater on Dumbledore's orders, we know he can get the information about You-Know-Who's whereabouts when you're not in his head, but he's in Hogwarts now, as Headmaster."

Harry looked confused, "so?"

"So, with him there and You-Know-Who somewhere else, how is he still getting information?" Ron finished, looking at Harry once more. "I can't see You-Know-Who communicating with him through the floo network."

"I don't know," Harry shrugged. "There must be another Death Eater who's helping Snape, getting the information to him. But not while You-Know-Who's away obviously, or we would have heard something. We haven't had any news in days. Remus does know we're here, he would have told us if he heard anything."

Ron thought quietly about what Harry had said about there being another helping; it seemed a logical reason, but he couldn't get it to make sense. "Do you really think so? Do you think another _Death Eater _is helping _us_? Who?"

"The Malfoys."

They turned to the new voice at the door. Ron chuckled at the idea. "That's a good one, Hermione. You almost had me, you sounded so serious."

Hermione folded her arms and raised her eyebrows. "I am serious. Malfoy has been giving information to Snape to help us."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Why would he help us?"

"Narcissa Malfoy went to Dumbledore during Sixth Year," she answered. "She said they would help if Draco was kept safe. They were given protection for information."

"How are they getting protection?" Ron asked next. "They're not with the Order."

Hermione shook her head, "I'm not talking about being protected during the war. After the war, they'll be protected from jail. No Azkaban for 'joining' the Order. They won't fight us when the time comes either."

"Sneaky gits," Ron muttered.

"How do you know all this?"

Hermione looked guilty as she sat down next to him, "before school started, I overheard Snape talking to Malfoy; he was worried about what would happen if they were caught, apparently Draco's life is already in danger because You-Know-Who doesn't trust Lucius. This was all Narcissa's idea."

Hermione took a deep breath and looked down, "hearing him talk about his family was actually quite sad. I don't much like them as people, but I respect them as a family. They would do anything to keep each other safe… Like we would."

Harry smirked a little, "when the war is over, you can tell them that over tea and cake at Malfoy Manor."

She swatted his arm lightly and laughed. "No way." When their laugher died down, Hermione changed the subject. "Have you found anything?"

Ron shook his head. "No. You?"

Hermione was quiet for a few minutes, almost reluctant to answer. "Yes, I think so."

Ron jumped off the table to sit on the chair next to Hermione. He brought it as close as he could and the two boys leaned in. "That's great. What is it?"

"I don't know what to do yet," she answered slowly. "I'd rather wait till I have everything." She tried pleading with them with her eyes, but she could tell that they weren't ready to listen. She knew they were frustrated and wanted the information now, the looks on their faces said more than their words could. Sighing, Hermione gave in.

"Hundreds of years ago, the Ministry had this really powerful, dark magic that could _temporarily_ bring people back from the dead." She could tell that they were confused. "If a suspect died, they could bring them back and get what they wanted to know."

"Had?" Harry asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "It was banned for being dangerous, there are risks, and people thought it was unethical."

"And you want to perform this spell?" Again, she nodded. "How? The Ministry's been taken over, they'll be able to trace it."

"Can't," she stated. "It's undetectable. The Ministry made it so, that way if they brought someone back and they got out, they couldn't be traced back to the Ministry. That way they're kept out of trouble. Especially with other governments, only the UK was performing it."

"Using the Ministry's tools against them?" Harry nodded his head appreciatively. "I'm OK with that."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "We're not going to using it to get back at the Ministry; we're going to using because the person may be able to help us."

Harry apologised. "Do you have access to this spell?"

"I will do."

"How?"

This was the part Hermione didn't know how to explain. "Snape's talk with Malfoy was the last time the floo connection was used. I used a spell and found out their talk was between here and a private room in Malfoy Manor. You just shout 'Private room, Malfoy Manor', not the most original but it must be a safe part of the house."

"Hermione," Harry sighed.

"I spoke to Narcissa Malfoy," she rushed. "She was very surprised to see me, but after an explanation and talking about the risks, she agreed to send me the book with the spell in from Malfoy Manor's private library today. As soon as I get the book, I'll know exactly what the spell is and what we'll have to do." After she spoke, she took a deep breath and finished, slowly this time. "She swore to keep it a secret and, given what her family are doing, I believe her."

It was a while before anyone else spoke, Ron didn't know what to say and Harry was trying to process what was said.

"OK," Harry said at last. "Remus is coming today; we have to tell him so the Order knows what we're doing. Who are we going to bring back?"

They heard the unmistaken sound of floo and Hermione stood up to get the book. "Regulus Black."

* * *

><p>"No!" Remus walked away from them, shaking his head. "It's too dangerous."<p>

"I don't think we have any other choice," Hermione argued. "We've tried everything else."

"How am I to know that?" he asked. "You won't even tell me what you need him for! I didn't even know a spell like this existed and I was a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, how did you?"

"I read about it," she replied. Hermione held up the book. "I know the risks, I know what I have to do, and I know I can do it."

Remus glared at the book, as if wishing he could make it disappear. "You can't bring back the dead."

"I won't be, not really," she explained. "I kept reading and when he comes back, he will look real and he will feel real, but it won't be him exactly, it'll be like a part of his soul."

"Kind of like Tom Riddle's diary," Ron said.

Hermione nodded, "yes. And it will only be for the amount of time we give. I don't know how long this war will last, but I think a year from now will do. If we need more time, I'll wait for the year to be up and perform the spell again. Trust me."

Remus moved across and place one hand on her shoulder, the other on Harry's. "I do trust you, all three of you," he looked at Ron. "But this is dangerous."

"No more dangerous than fighting in a war," Harry stated. "This maybe our best chance at winning."

"But you won't tell me why it has to be Regulus Black?" They shook their heads. "Alright, "he conceded. "But Regulus' soul is your responsibility. It _will _only be for the year; if the war's not over, we'll just have to find another way. And I want to know everything you can tell me." They agreed to that and Remus told them he would tell the Order, then left.

When he was gone, Ron spoke. "How are we going to find him?"

"We know he died in the cave," Harry answered. "From what Kreacher told us, he could have drowned. He'd be at the bottom of the water."

"But from what you said, we can't just go there and accio his body," Ron argued.

"We won't need to." They turned to Hermione. "When he comes back, he'll be confused; he'll want to go somewhere familiar to him, a place he knows more than anyone. He'll come straight to us."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Where is this place?"

Hermione looked around the room they were in, around the familiar walls of 12 Grimmauld Place. "Home."


	2. One More Night

**A/N: **Finally! I hope no one gave up on this story. The real stuff starts to happen in the next chapter. :P

* * *

><p>Harry and Ron sat and watched in silence as Hermione hurried around the dining room, occasionally leaving, to collect everything she needed for the spell, going over the book every time she came back.<p>

They thought she had what she needed when she stopped and looked through the ingredients, double-checking she had everything. Then the floo network connected and she ran into the drawing room. She came back minutes later with more. "We didn't have everything," she explained. "That's it. Now to get it ready."

Harry looked at some of the names and pulled a face, then glanced at the cauldron. "You said it was a spell, you said nothing about potion making."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Of course potion making would be involved. If it wasn't, the spell would be too generalized, you wouldn't bring back anybody. It needs to be specific, so the person you want to come back comes back." She pointed to the cauldron. "Hence the potion making."

She laughed at their faces. "You don't drink it; you put in something of Regulus' and it binds him to earth. That's what brings him back."

They calmed down slightly, now more nervous about whether it would axtaully work, and nodded. "OK," Harry murmured.

"How long will it all take?" Ron asked.

"It shouldn't take long," Hermione answered. "The Ministry wanted something fast so they didn't waste time."

The boys said nothing, they sat back and watched as Hermione brewed the potion, added each ingredient and recited the spell in the book. It was in Latin; Harry wondered if Hermione was just saying the words or if she had tried to understand what they meant when she got the book the night before.

They stared at the cauldron the whole time, even after Hermione had finished, but nothing happened. At first.

The cauldron began to shake, causing them all to stand back quickly, and the potion started to bubble and glow red. Smoke rose and filled the air and they covered their mouth quickly, unsure what would happen. As the mist faded, they took tentative steps forward. They moved the smoke away with the hands and watched as the potion turned black. Everything stopped.

"Was it supposed to do that?" Harry asked slowly.

Hermione nodded. "Yes."

"Now what?"

"Now we wait."

xXx

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling like he had just been thrown to the surface, which was technically true, and climbed the rest of the way out of the water. He got to his knees and coughed violently, water coming out.

Regulus stood slowly, his legs, his whole body, shaking, and used the basin for support, confused as to how he ended up in the water or how he got out. He looked around the cave and everything started to come back. "I did it."

He smile softly and made his to the boat. I need to go home.

He never noticed that the locket was gone.

He made his way clumsily out of the cave and, once on dry land, he dropped to his knees. He stayed knelt on the ground, not moving, until his head had stopped pounding and he felt safe to move without wobbling. He had barely managed to leave the cave without falling, he dreaded to think what Apparating would have been like.

He stood slowly and spread his arms as if to balance himself, then let out a sigh of relief and Apparated to Grimmould Place. He just managed not to slip off the step hiding him from Muggles, and turned slightly to make sure he hadn't been seen. He noticed the men standing across the street and, his instincts kicking in, moved back quickly.

_What's going on? _

Tentatively, almost afraid something would happen, Regulus opened the door.

xXx

Hermione, Ron and Harry sat still, barely speaking a word to each other. The only sounds that could be heard was Kreacher preparing dinner and Hermione tapping her fingers against the table.

Harry placed his hand on hers, gently forcing her to stop. "Are you sure the spell worked?"

Before Hermione even had time to answer, they heard the front door open and jumped to their feet hastily, wands out. They heard Dumbledore's voice call out and a small scream.

They moved to the door to see a young man, about eighteen, stop in front of them. They recognized him instantly from pictures; Regulus Black.

"It worked," Hermione answered Harry's question, her eyes never leaving the once-dead Black.

He stared at them in shock and confusion. "Who are you and what are you doing in my house?"

Harry took a step forward and opened his mouth to speak, remembering what they had talked about the night before. "Do you know where you are? What year it is?"

"It's 1979 and you're in my house. Why?" he demanded.

"It's hard to explain and it's going to sound really strange," Hermione said. "You should sit down."

"I won't do a thing until you tell me who you are and why you're here."

The three friends looked to each other for an answer for what to do; none of them had anticipated how stubborn Regulus would be when on his own; his parents weren't here to control him and he showed how alike he and Sirius were. They didn't have a chance to say anything.

"Master Regulus is back!" Kreacher ran in front and wrapped his arms around his master's legs. "Master has been gone a long time."

Regulus turned to them, confused; it couldn't have been more than a few hours. Couldn't it? "What does he mean by that? How have I been gone a long time?"

"Please sit down," Hermione pleaded softly, pointing to a chair. Regulus pried Kreacher's arms away as gently as he could and did as he was told. Hermione sat next to him and the room became silent and awkward; no one was sure what to say.

It was Ron who broke the silence. "It's 1997, Black."

"Ron!" Hermione scolded.

"It can't be!" Regulus exclaimed. "It's 1979, I'm eighteen. If it were 1997, I'd be older."

"You'd be thirty six," Harry murmured. His eyes glanced from Hermione to Ron to Regulus and carried on where Ron had started. "It is 1997, Regulus; September 1997. We," he pointed to himself and his friends, "agreed to perform this spell that would bring you back temporally. I have no idea how to explain this," he groaned.

"What do you mean you brought me back?" he asked slowly, not believing what they were saying.

"Well," Hermione stammered slightly. "The reason you're still eighteen is because, you see, you died in 1979."

Regulus stood up so quickly he made Hermione jump back. He paced the dining area with his hand on his heart. "Heartbeat," he murmured. "You're lying, it can't be true; I can't have been dead for almost twenty years! It's impossible; you can't bring back the dead."

"We've heard that before," Ron muttered. "Yet here you are."

"No," Regulus continued to mutter. "You're crazy. You're just three crazy kids who have broken into my house."

"You were in a cave."

Regulus stopped talking and stared at Harry. "How did you know that?"

Harry ignored his question and continued to talk. "In 1979, you went with Kreacher to the cave You-Know-Who took him to and you swapped the Horcrux for a fake locket. You gave it to Kreacher to destroy and you made him promise not to tell; a promise between a master and a house elf that cannot be broken unless the master dies. You came out of the water, didn't you?" Harry asked.

Regulus nodded once. "Inferi came. I couldn't stop them. I remember they dragged me under. Oh, my God," he whispered, leaning against the wall.

"You drowned eighteen years ago," Harry told him. "We've brought you back because we need your help."

"Who are you?"

Harry smiled softly, just because someone didn't know who they were. "Harry Potter."

"Potter?" Regulus asked, looking up. "As in James Potter?" Harry nodded. "You look like him, from what I remember anyway." They stayed still in an awkward silence. "What now?"

They looked up. "What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

Regulus kept his eyes glued to the floor. "You said you brought me back, you must have done so for a reason. Don't tell you did this without thinking. No, don't answer that."

The room returned to the awkward silence; Hermione made herself busy putting left over ingredients away, Ron followed Kreacher to finish dinner; the house elf figuring his master would rather be left alone. Harry thought the same thing and faced Regulus again, whose head was still down and had his arms wrapped around his chest. "Maybe it would be best if we talked about this in the morning." He heard Hermione turn. "One more night won't hurt us. No one's touched your room."

Regulus nodded slowly. He just wanted to be alone, to rest, get some sleep. Maybe he would wake up and it would all be one horrible dream. He'd wake up and everything would be... He suppressed a shudder, remembering what it was like before he went to the cave. He left for the stairs, making his way to his room, not bothering to say anything more to the three in his kitchen. He left feeling like a ghost of his former self.

Regulus rolled his eyes at that.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Just letting everyone know: i have a new Next-Gen story - James/MaleOC - for a challenge, and i will really love and appreciate it if people checked it out and let me know what they think. Rated M - warnings inside.

Sam.


	3. An Open Book

It wasn't until the next morning that Regulus checked out his room and realized that Harry Potter had been wrong. When he'd gone to bed, he'd felt so drained, both physically and emotionally, that he'd collapsed on top of his bed and gone straight to sleep. When he woke up, he did so feeling a little calmer and more aware of his surroundings; that was when he noticed the room. People had been in, moved things around; he remembered his life like it was yesterday and he hadn't left his room the way he found it now. Books were in different places and the photograph of him with his parents wasn't aligned with the corner of his bedside table.

Eighteen years to catch up on and the only thing he could think about was that Harry Potter had lied. Maybe he'd thought Regulus wouldn't notice. He honestly didn't know why he cared.

All he cared about was in the pocket of the robes he'd drowned in.

_Oh, God..._

Regulus dug his hand into his pocket, the fabric rough from not being dried properly, and pulled out the locket he always kept with him. Well, it was a lot bigger than an actual locket, about the size of a small notebook, but it was the same gold one would use to make a locket, right down to the clasp, and it only held two pictures inside. Hesitantly, Regulus opened it up and checked inside, breathing out in relief once he knew that the old charms woven into the design had still worked, even under water. The pictures inside were obviously older, but not damaged by the water. Finally, something was going right.

Closing it and holding it tightly, Regulus brought it to his lips and whispered a thank you to whoever would listen. He let it lie on the bed to shower and began looking for clean clothes; he found them still in his wardrobe, but upon opening the doors the air filled with dust and an awful musky scent that had him shutting them quickly. No way could he wear them.

That was when he saw the folded set of clean clothes on his bed; they must have been Potter's because the red headed boy was too tall and they couldn't have gone shopping. They weren't clothes he'd normally wear, or even think of buying; they were clearly Muggle and much different to his day. But he remembered that the last time he'd shopped for clothes was 1979 and in his current situation, Regulus couldn't afford to be picky. He shrugged on the slightly-too-baggy jeans and the t-shirt that was a size or two too long and stared at himself in the mirror. His black hair was wet and fell past his eyes, his eyes looked dead but he hoped that was because he wasn't feeling very good about his situation because he still felt alive (heart still beat and everything), and the clothes made him look like a lanky school boy rather than a sole Pureblood heir and the dangerous Death Eater he'd once tried to be. Even when he couldn't kill, he spoke and looked in a way that made people cower when he needed them to.

Now he just looked afraid.

_What do I have to be afraid of now? I'm dead. _

Not knowing how to answer his own question, Regulus snatched up the locket, tucked it safely into his pocket and made his way to the kitchen. Stepping inside, he found Kreacher by the stove and the only girl in the group at the table, her head buried in book. He guessed the other two were still sleeping; given their situation, they were clearly hiding from someone, he found it very strange that they could afford a lie in. They didn't notice him until he took a seat at the table, across the girl; the chair scraped across the floor as he pulled it out.

Kreacher happily went on about what he was making for breakfast and she merely smiled. He nodded once to the house elf and took the opportunity to study his unexpected house guest; she was a pretty girl, with deep brown eyes and hair that looked a little frizzy. She didn't dress to impress, but he could only see the jumper from his place. Not Pureblood, he guessed, or not one from his old circle; he didn't recognize any distinguishing features from the names he knew.

Kreacher put a plate down in front of him; sausages and bacon and rounds of toast. He thanked the elf, but could only look at it. He didn't feel so hungry right now. Besides, could he eat if he was dead?

"I think you can eat that," the girl said quietly, a little nervous. "The spell was supposed to give you an illusion of life, made real by your soul; that's why your heart beats and you can breathe air. I think you can eat, too. But you're the only person I've ever brought back, so I can't say for sure."

Tentatively, Regulus cut into a sausage and brought it to his mouth. It smelt delicious and it tasted even better; exactly how they were made for him as a boy. But feelings of hunger still didn't come, eating didn't satisfy him. It was simply a thing to do now.

"Who are you?" he asked before she could go back to her book.

"Hermione Granger. Muggleborn," she added, her eyes wary. She was curious as to how he'd react. He only nodded and went back to eating.

"Where did you get the spell to bring me back? Clearly not from the Ministry," he pointed out, remembering the law. "That you can't bring back the dead is one of the first things they teach, they wouldn't have told you about it."

"No, they didn't," Hermione agreed and took a deep breath. "Your cousin did. Narcissa. I heard about the spell and asked her about it. She gave me the book, but I didn't say who I want to bring back."

"Because she would never want to put me through this," he said, knew straight away that it was true. "Put me through what exactly? Why am I here and how do you know about the locket?"

Hermione looked around, unsure, her eyes going out of the kitchen. Regulus wondered if she was hoping her friends were coming, maybe it was easier to talk with them all there; her dejected frown when she saw that the hallway was still empty was further proof. He stared her down, not quite ready to plead with her for answers but hoping it showed in his eyes.

She sighed and nodded. "I chose to bring you back because you were a Death Eater," she muttered, her eyes focused on him.

"A Death -" Realization dawned on the boy, quickly followed by horror. He jumped up off his seat, his body shaking. He wasn't taking the news well. "He's still alive. Everything I did and he's still alive. I died for _nothing_!"

"The locket isn't the only Horcrux; we've destroyed two, we have the locket back and we're looking for the others," Hermione told him, quickly getting him up to date with what was going on. Regulus wasn't completely sure he was even listening to her; the words made it to his mind, but just didn't seem to be sinking in. "Regulus, are you okay?"

"No," he snapped, still freaking out. He did what he did to help stop the Dark Lord, now he knew he'd died in vain. He'd lost his life, his family, said goodbye to Sirius and Narcissa... in some way. "I promised Narcissa I'd get in touch when it was safe. What she must have gone through. I have to go."

"Regulus, no!" Hermione cried, following him down the hall. "Regulus, they're watching the house."

"The psychotic assholes in black capes. Yeah, I noticed them," he shouted back, still moving. "You think I don't know how to sneak out of my own house?"

He pulled open the door, just enough that no one would notice, and slipped out of it. Still hidden from view on the step, Regulus Apparated.

***

Cursing, Hermione took a deep breath and prayed she wouldn't get caught. Harry and Ron were still asleep and with no idea where to start, they probably would be for a while; she calmed herself one more time and followed him out of the door. First she cast a charm to hide herself from others; she'd practiced it often and her friends couldn't see her, but she had no idea how long it would last. Then she Apparated; she had a feeling she knew exactly where Regulus was.

God, she hoped she was wrong.

But Hermione was right; she walked along the path and found him not too far from the manor's gates. Her body shook as fear replaced her nerves, but she pushed on through and went to stand behind him.

"I thought about going in, but I didn't want to freak her out," Regulus murmured, his eyes glued to the large house. "The house is darker than I remember. I can feel it. Is he in there?"

"Yes. Lucius Malfoy was roped into joining a long time ago," Hermione told him slowly, almost hesitantly. "Not that he didn't agree with what You-Know-Who was saying, at least at the time, but he'd promised not to. Especially after you died. Your cousin didn't want that in their house, but then they threatened their son. He's named after you, you know. Draco Regulus. I hope he's nothing like you, though; he's kind of a bully, especially to Muggleborns."

"I never bullied anyone, I hated everyone equally and singling people out was just too much hassle," Regulus told her. "Though I did have a couple of friends. Jason and Hayden. I even had a girlfriend... once. She was halfblood and a Gryffindor, lived in a Muggle neighborhood. My mother would have killed me if she'd known. I didn't even tell my brother."

"No one knew?" Hermione asked.

"Narcissa." Regulus scoffed. "And James Potter, of all people." He finally turned to face her, about to say something when he stopped abruptly and watched her closely. "You're disillusioned. I can see it around you, but I see you, too."

"I can't let them see me," she said, her eyes darting to the house before going back to him. "It allows me to hide from human eyes. But you... well, you're not human. You're more than that; you're your soul in human form. This magic doesn't work on you. Regulus, we need to go," she added hastily. "We're not safe here."

It was a few more minutes, but Regulus finally nodded and started walking back down the path and away from his cousin's home. Safer in the town nearby, Hermione let out a relieved breath and walked a little more steadily.

"I can still do magic," Regulus asked, noticing her reaction and obviously finding it a good time to talk again. "I know I'm... different because I don't need a wand, but I can use it and I can Apparate and... why is that?"

"Magic is a part of us; we're born with it, we can't steal it or buy it. It's in our very souls," Hermione started.

"And as a soul, it gets to come with me," Regulus finished, knowing he was right when Hermione nodded. "You found all this out in that book of yours?"

"For the most part," Hermione confirmed. "But I figured out the rest for myself. Well, it's my opinion anyway."

Regulus nodded, but said nothing to that. It made sense and that was all that really mattered.

"Where's my brother?" he asked finally. "He's James Potter's best friend, so I know Harry Potter knows him, which means you must know him. Since we're living at home, I figured he'd be there to call you idiots. Or beat the crap out of me and boast about how right he was for me getting involved with _them_."

Hermione hesitated and Regulus knew right away that something was wrong. "James and Lily died when Harry was a baby, You-Know-Who got them because Peter Pettigrew - do you remember Peter? - betrayed them. And Sirius went after him, which ended in him getting framed and arrested for murder. So Harry only found out about him a few years ago."

"So Sirius is in Azkaban? Typical," Regulus scoffed. "He never did know how to control his temper."

"No, he got out," Hermione muttered, not looking him in the eye. "Bellatrix killed him. He was keeping Lucius from getting to Harry and Bellatrix snuck up behind them."

"Where -" Regulus stopped, not able to believe what he was hearing. He couldn't wrap his head around it. Not because he couldn't believe it, Bellatrix was a psycho and he knew she could go after anyone, but because he didn't want to. First to hear he was dead, then to hear that _he_ was still alive, and his brother was dead; it was too much. But he asked anyway. "Where are they buried?"

"As far as I know, James and Lily are in a cemetery in Godric's Hallow; that's where they lived and died," Hermione answered him. "Sirius doesn't have one, his body fell through a vail in the Department of Mysteries, but Harry hopes he can put a plaque next to James' when the war is over."

"How nice of him," Regulus muttered. "But we have to win the war first."

***

Harry and Ron were rushing down the hall the moment they heard Hermione and Regulus return, ignoring the ghost of Dumbledore completely.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" Ron yelled. "You had us worried."

"I was just catching Regulus up on everything that's happened," Hermione told them. They'd agreed before coming back that they'd leave out the visit to Malfoy Manor.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked, ready to focus on the bigger picture right now, but Hermione knew a talk was imminent.

"How'd it go?" Regulus repeated, moving away and into the hall. "Remarkably well; I figured out that you're screwed without me. It makes me feel so special and good inside."

"Sarcastic git, isn't he?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear. Harry elbowed him in the ribs.

"And?" Harry prompted.

"And ask me anything," Regulus said, sitting down in a chair, looking completely out of place in Harry's clothes but playing the part of the calm host well. "I want you to win this war just as much as you do. Which makes me an open fucking book."

They moved into the nearest seats and the questions started.


End file.
